Latest revision as of 21:07, 22 May 2020

Amongst King Random's Deck is the great Golden Circle Kingdom of Calrabon, Eurth. Pictured is the tower city of Calro-Eskon (2), three thousand foot tall and nearly a mile wide, honeycombed with passages, rooms, galleries and halls. The stone of Calrabon has been sorcerously fused and reinforced with metal structural supports.

This system includes two suns, a G-yellow star(Sol) and a tiny green wandering sister sun(Wanderer). The system has 4 zones; Inner Ring, Rock Ring, Broad ring, & pebble ring. The inner ring includes a tiny rock circling near the yellow sun. The main ring includes the planet eurth and two tiny sisters in the same orbit. The green sun orbits on a complicated path that brings it by the two tiny worlds in the system every 60 years and near Calrabon every 400 years. The Rock Ring is an asteroid belt that most likely once included a world the size of Eurth that was demolished in a passage of the Wanderer. The broad ring includes three gas giants and a louse amount of gases and matter that is the remains of a gas giant that was torn apart by the gravitational passage of the Wanderer. The pebble ring is a ring of tiny pebbles that is comprised of debris from the numerous collisions.

Eurth is a gigantic world, far more massive then most terrestrial worlds. Its surface areas is 8 times that of normal earth-sized worlds. The Two tiny planets are called the Twins; Cesa and Irik. There is some reason to believe that the two twins were either one planet divided by the Wanderer.

The passage of the Wanderer causes wild growth in plants and animals. Some of the extreme growth can be stable enough to allow the enlarged plants and animals to reproduce normally in the enlarged size. The presence of gigantic animals is one of the reasons that Oberon originally found this planet; As a hunting preserve. Tribes of men on this world developed mighty constructions and chamber dwellings in the open plains and in great cave structures.

Technologically this place is a bit more advanced than Amber, having embraced electronics after Patternfall. The infusion of high tech is being warmly and enthusiastically greeted. Otherwise all the same technologies, cosmologies, and magic forms match Amber, but Magery and warlockery work too.

The government of Calrabon is republican with each Tower providing a Senator to the Senate of Calrabon. Each Tower administrates the Chamber establishments in their region. The Senator is responsible for military defense in their region and may be called on by other Towers in case of extra heavy animal activity. While warfare between Towers in well-known, it is rarely on a large scale. Also, when groups of large animals attack a Tower feuding is set aside for the common good.

Politics rotate around chamber politics. The great tower of Calro-Eskon is the governmental capital of the planet and there are hundreds of similar, if smaller Towers. There are tens of thousands of what they call Chamber Establishments.

While each Tower manages its own trade with other Towers, the Council of Trade is associated with the Senate and oversees inter-shadow trade with shadows connected to the Jeweled Road and several other paths that travel through shadow across the world. There is frequent conflict among this vitally important organization and there is a great deal of trade that get managed outside of the COT. "Buckers" is the name for those who trade off-shadow outside the control of the COT.

Towers are massive structures of a variety of designs but they echo the honeycomb nature of the Chambers Establishments. Chamber Establishments may include anywhere from 55 to 1000 chambers. A Chamber Block can include as few as 1 chamber to 55 chambers. Hamlets are small groupings of buildings of a standard village paradigm and are spread widely across Eurth. Farmsteads are abundant on this largely agrarian world. Farmsteads and Hamlets always have a plan for getting their populace to a Chamber for protection.

Chambers-Most chambers are one hundred feet square. These squares are then furnished with dwellings, and businesses throughout. With ceilings at 12 feet and 3 feet of space between levels, a 100x100x100-foot chamber generally supports 6 levels of homes, business and storage space. It is truly amazing how much they pack into the chambers.

Living in such a cramped space they cherish the open areas of the 100-foot wide and tall galleries. Fountains, parks, entertainment areas and playgrounds manage to not impede the quick flow of the populace.

The presence of gigantic animals is one of the reasons that Oberon originally found this planet; As a hunting preserve. Tribes of men on this world developed mighty constructions and chamber dwellings in the open plains and in great cave structures.

In the earliest days of this shadow, vicious beasts roamed the realms feeding on anything they could run down, including the two-legged long pork animals called Mankind. People apparently developed language out of a desire to communicate strategies of how to avoid being eaten by beasts. This gives their language a brutal edge that is reflected in their literature. Elephant sized tigers, bears, alligators, velosoraptors, and varieties of flying monstrosities once roamed the world and still appear sometimes. The farmlands and open areas have Chamber Blocks, smaller versions of Chamber Establishments, they run to when these creatures manifest.

So Oberon and his sons came and hunted whole species into extinction or chased the remnants up into the isolated regions of the mountains to breed into smaller, less frolicsome versions of their races. Thus the reasons Calrabon became an early GCST kingdom; gratitude and self-preservation. Osric once told me that Calrabon was sort of Oberon's game preserve.

Buff hide is the most common leather used in clothing and armor from Calrabon and is one of their most profitable exports.

Common Breeds of Enlarged creatures
These animals have been effected by the Wanderer and managed to breed true in the enlarged size.

A number of dinosaur-like creatures once roamed at will but it was them that originally took the brunt of Oberon's hunting parties. A few still turn up on ocasion. T-Rex, Velosoraptors, and other dangerous creatures.
Unusual Large Animals:

Fetry:

Dive Turkeys( Aggressive turkeys): Dive Turkeys are carniverous turkeys of about double the usual size but they have developed a peculiar attack form. They have enough strength of wing to launch themselves as much at 4o feet into the air, silently, then fall out of the air to land on their prey, ripping into them with wickedly shapr claws and beaks. While not difficult to hunt, they are dangerous because of the silence of their attack. They usually hunt at night. Calro stories often include dive turkeys attacking hunting groups while they sleep.
Fighting Honsits (Like a giant horned rabid boar)

During the time of trials, when Oberon and the boys were stomping nasties, the Calro, a particularly competent tribe of men, domesticated the Buffalo. These are not the common buffs one thinks of. These are massive, 16 foot tall meat-heavy buffalo. Docile creatures that live off the plentiful grasslands are herded and efficiently executed then rendered down to cuts. One of the most common magics is the preservation spell that wraps the cut meat and keeps it fresh.

Seeing the Butcher-Wizards work is a gristly experience in bloodletting. A powerful spell kills the beast painlessly, then separates the contained parts into piles. Everything is used and sold. It figures that the Calro would develop so friggin useful a spell. It works on any meat animal. Imagine...

The galleries, halls, houses and shops are filled with huge slabs of delicious meat. The trump delivers you outside a southern entrance called Rilor Gate. The first Chamber on the left, is a single Restaurant. It is the shadow-famous eatery called Oberon's Fire. A never-failing barbecue cooks huge slabs of meat for easy eating. Potatoes, and a wide selection of vegies mix up a menu consisting of 4 or 5 different type of meats, dominated by Buff steak. A giant chicken-like bird called Fetrry is a close second to buffalo. Alligator, snake, and a collection of huge fish round out the meats of the menu. Snake is a common meat animal in Calrabon, being about 8 feet long and a foot wide. Snar snake tastes like chicken but really, really good chicken.

Amongst King Random's Deck is the great Golden Circle Kingdom of Calrabon. Pictured is a tower city three thousand feet tall and nearly a mile wide, honeycombed with passages, rooms, galleries and halls. The stone of Calrabon has been sorcerously fused and reinforced with metal structural supports.

Most chambers are one hundred feet square. These squares are then furnished with dwellings, and businesses throughout. With ceilings at 12 feet and 3 feet of space between levels, a 100x100x100-foot chamber generally supports 6 levels of homes, business and storage space. It is truly amazing how much they pack into the chambers.

Living in such a cramped space they cherish the open areas of the 100-foot wide and tall galleries. Fountains, parks, entertainment areas and playgrounds manage not to impede the quick flow of the populace.

Technologically this place is a bit more advanced than Amber, having embraced electronics after Patternfall. The infusion of high tech is being warmly and enthusiastically greeted. Otherwise all the same technologies, cosmologies, and magic forms match Amber, but Magery and warlockery work too. Governmental forms rotate around chamber politics. As for the rest of the shadow, Calrabon is the governmental capital of a shadow spanning nation and there are hundreds of similar, if smaller towers. There are tens of thousands of what they call Chamber Establishments.

The urge to block up comes from an early epoch, and Oberon casts a long shadow over the early years. Oddly so do Osric the Bold, Finndo the Wise, and Brown Ben. Call Benedict Brown Ben sometimes and see what happens. Clear your schedule and have a book you can read by candlelight with you. He only accepts that name from Calro natives and those have to have big brass balls to use it.

In the earliest days of this shadow, vicious beasts roamed the realms feeding on anything they could run down, including the two-legged long pork animals called Mankind. People apparently developed language out of a desire to communicate strategies of how to avoid being eaten by beasts. This gives their language a brutal edge that is reflected in their literature. Elephant sized tigers, bears, alligators, velosoraptors, and varieties of flying monstrosities once roamed the world and still appear sometimes. The farmlands and open areas have Chamber Blocks, smaller versions of Chamber Establishments, they run to when these creatures manifest.

So Oberon and his sons came and hunted whole species into extinction or chased the remnants up into the isolated regions of the mountains to breed into smaller, less frolicsome versions of their races. Thus the reasons Calrabon became an early GCST kingdom; gratitude and self-preservation. Osric once told me that Calrabon was sort of Oberon's game preserve.

The details are extensive and you can find casual and scholarly works aplenty. They are, after all, a major and ancient Golden Circle Signatory Treaty kingdom. In fact, King Fom Ross Treit's signature is third on the first of the ancient documents that developed into the formal GCST. A full seventh of the Amber Military, including naval, army, Guard and police forces are of Calrabon natives. Universities, seminaries, and administrations are rife with Calro. The church of the Unicorn is the only religion practiced here.

One would assume this ancient ally's military, social, commercial and political importance is the reason this card is in the deck. Right?

Nope. This is a Diner of Amber.

Don't deny it, brother mine, I know the truth. Sure, the Calro are great people, many of them are dear friends, and their service at Patternfall proves their loyalty. Yet we both know why the trump brings the hungry traveler where it does. Put your hand on the Book of the Unicorn and deny it, if you dare.

During the time of trials, when Oberon and the boys were stomping nasties, the Calro, a particularly competent tribe of men, domesticated the Buffalo. These are not the common buffs one thinks of. These are massive, 16 foot tall meat-heavy buffalo. Docile creatures that live off the plentiful grasslands are herded and efficiently executed then rendered down to cuts. One of the most common magics is the preservation spell that wraps the cut meat and keeps it fresh. Buff hide is the most common leather used in clothing and armor from Calrabon and is one of their most profitable exports.

Seeing the Butcher-Wizards work is a gristly experience in bloodletting. A powerful spell kills the beast painlessly, then separates the contained parts into piles. Everything is used and sold. It figures that the Calro would develop so friggin useful a spell. It works on any meat animal. Imagine...

So the galleries, halls, houses and shops are filled with huge slabs of delicious meat. The trump delivers you outside a southern entrance called Rilor Gate. The first Chamber on the left, is a single Restaurant. It is the shadow-famous eatery called Oberon's Fire. A never-failing barbecue cooks huge slabs of meat for easy eating. Potatoes, and a wide selection of vegies mix up a menu consisting of 4 or 5 different type of meats, dominated by Buff steak. A giant chicken-like bird called Fetrry is a close second to buffalo. Alligator, snake, and a collection of huge fish round out the meats of the menu. Snake is a common meat animal in Calrabon, being about 8 feet long and a foot wide. Snar snake tastes like chicken but really, really good chicken.

I recommend the Buff slab 3; a full 2-inch thick, 16-inch wide cut, cooked to choice and ready to go. A meal fit for an Amberite. The Fet Cut 2 is a breast of fetrry a foot long, and 8 inches wide and thick. Juicy. Try the Snar Cut 3, a plate of 60 or so cut strips, with 5 different dipping sauces. I don't like the alligator myself but it has it devotees, and the fish is pretty good too. They make a halibut ceviechee that is magnificent.

I am not going to comment of the brewers of Calro. Lets just say that in a world with a ancient tradition of farming, and beekeeping, the beers and meads are among the best in shadow. However, their wines rank among the worst.

Many of the royal feasts in Amber will include the Calrabon rainbow trout steak and Oberon's Fire cooks a mean Trout Cut 1, if you feel like fish. If you don't like fish, get out of Amber or fake it. Swayvill doesn't like fish. What are you? Chaosian?

Order a 'Corwin Dinner' sometime. A buff cut 3, a fetery 9, a snar strip platter, roast dive turkey, a gallon jug of porter ale and a gallon of brown honey mead.. Where does he put it all?

Dang. Now I am hungry. I think I'll take a break. I have this card right here.

From the addendum

More and more I find myself thinking a lot went on before I was born that no one bothered to tell me about. The restaurant called Oberon's Fire is significantly named. It is not simply an homage to Oberon. It seems during his nasty-stomping days a huge bunch of nasties almost got the better of Old Oberon and the boys. They had to fight tooth and nail against a massive number of beasts and in the end Oberon was forced to use the Jewel of Judgment as a fire focus to destroy them. He was young though and the power of the jewel got away from him. Nice to know he was not always perfect.

So he became a immolated burning torch as the jewel fought to consume him and he fought to extinguish the fire. To quench it he threw himself into a massive pool of water, which burst into steam. The fire of the Jewel of Judgment was scoured off Oberon and remained in the pit. It has remained there ever since, never flickering. So the meat cooked over the massive barbecue pit is prepared by master chefs who know how to cook meat over a primal fire drawing its fuel directly from the Jewel of Judgment across vast expanses of shadow-veils. Cool trick. Nice fire.

By the way. Oberon's Fire is run by a great man named Aggus Fet Arman. He is a great guy and a cook of unparalleled talents. He has been a general in the armies of Calrobon and served at Patternfall leading troops. He retired to take up full time his hobby of cooking. he is an amazing cook...

He has an aged pepper sauce that is possibly the best condiment in shadow. Many a lady of Amber has rolled her eyes when someone mentions it in conversation, since it tends to distract the attention of all the male in attendance, who consider it some sort of holy material. I don't know if its holy, but its worth the attention. Its a sort of, well, it tastes like.. uh... well... its a pepper sauce of the blackish red variety. What it contains is a state secret that Aggus Fet Arman guards with his life. I once heard him say he didn't even make it on Calrabon.